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THE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION 



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THE LECTURE-STUDY DEPARTMENT 

No. 157.— Price, 10 Cts. J^ P^ 



THE UNITED STATES IN 
THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 



SYLLABUS OF A 
COURSE OF SIX 
LECTURE-STUDIES 



By Francis Wayland Shepardson, Ph.D. 

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF AMERICAN HISTORY 



CHICAGO 

1902 



EXERCISES .So"4- 

Topics for exercises are given at the end of the outline of each lecture. Answers 
in writing, to not more than two questions each week, are invited from all persons 
attending the lecture. These should be written on one side of the paper only, a 
broad margin being reserved on the left. The name of the centre, with some 
signature of the writer, should stand at the top of the first page. The exercises 
should be sent to F. W. Shepardson, Ph.D., The University of Chicago, Chicago, 
so as to arrive at least two days before the following lecture. They will be re- 
turned at the Review, the following week, with such marginal and oral comments as 
they seem to require. If application is made to the lecturer, there will be an Exam- 
ination at the end of the course for students who are qualified and desire to take it. 

Any of the books referred to in these lectures may be obtamed at special rates 
from The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 111. Prices will be quoted on 
application. 



UNIVERSITY CREDIT FOR LECTURE-STUDY COURSES 

Readings in connection with each lecture are. designated in the syllabus. The 
syllabus is provided with a perforated leaf upon which each student doing the full 
amount of assigned reading, or in addition to the reading, rendering to the lecturer 
the full number of written papers, is invited to record that fact. This leaf may be 
sent by the student to the lecturer who will certify to it by his signature, and will 
add such comments as he thinks appropriate. The leaf will then be returned by 
the lecturer to the student. 

Applicants for University standing in any department must satisfactorily con- 
form to the requirements laid down by the University in reference to entrance 
examinations. 

Passing satisfactorily an examination upon a course of twelve lecture-studies 
entitles a student, under the conditions of the foregoing paragraph, to the privilege 
of presenting himself at the University for the University examination upon that 
subject, if application be made within twelve months of the termination of the 
course. The terms of examination for University Credit upon University Extension 
lecture-studies are as follows: 

Any student who has attended a twelve-lecture study course, satisfied the lec- 
turer in the amount of assigned reading, rendered the required number of written 
papers, and satisfactorily passed the examination set by the lecturer may, upon pre- 
senting the weekly and examination papers to the University Examiner, paying the 
usual examination and matriculation fees and passing a satisfactory examination at 
the University, receive credit in the University for a Minor in the subject upon 
which the course has been given. This credit will depend upon the character of 
the paper work as well as upon that of the examination. 

Non-resident students may not offer for the Bachelor's degree more than one- 
half of the work required for that degree. They may not offer for the degrees of 
B.D. or Ph.D. more than one-third of the work required for those degrees. In every 
case examination upon the work must be passed at the University, or at one of the 
regular examinations conducted by the University. 

In the case of advanced subjects, the examinations for entrance to the Univer- 
sity shall have been passed, and also such examinations in preliminary subjects as 
may be required for the subject offered. Students presenting themselves for these 
examinations must attain the grades required in all the regular examinations of the 
University. ^.^ 

The Univer^uty 
82^05 





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LECTURE I. 

THE UNITED STATES A CENTURY AGO. 

I. Introduction — The Point of View. 

In a study of American development during a century, the 
importance of the point of view cannot be overestimated. 
There is great difficulty in securing the right one, owing — 

1. To confusion of present conditions with past. 

2. To confusion caused by the halo of the ''glorious past." 

3. To confusion caused by the vaunting American spirit. 

An examination of conditions prevailing at the beginning is 
the only satisfactory method of securing the preparation needed 
for a correct appreciation of the progress of our country during 
a hundred years. Such examination would require study of 
(i) The Land, (2) The People, and (3) The Ideas of the People. 

II. The Geography of the United States in 1800. 

1. The boundaries of the country. 

2. Physiographical features in relation to the history. 

3. The relation of the territory outlined upon the map to the 
portion actually occupied. . 

4. The relation of the territory to that of European nations. 

5. Geographical problems. 

a. External, relating to boundaries. 

b. Internal, relating to the Public Domain and the State 
Domain. 

III. The Population of the United States in 1800. 



Number. 

Origin. 

Location. 

Social condition. 

Economic condition. 

Political condition. 



4 THE UNITED STATES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 

IV. The Dominant Political Ideas of 1800. 

1. The ideas of the Federalist element. 

2. The ideas of the Democratic element. 

3. The relation of the state to the Union. 

4. The relation of the United States to the world. 

V. Conclusion. 

References: 

Walker (editor), The First Century of the Republic. 
Gannett, The Building of a Nation. 

McMaster, History of the People of the United States, II, 538-582. 
Scudder, Men and Manners in America a Hundred Years Ago. 
Schouler, History of the United States. 
Shaler (editor), The United States of America. 

Hart, American History Told by Contemporaries, Vol. Ill, "National Expan- 
sion." 
Sparks, The Expansion of the American People. 

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION OR REVIEW. 

1. What flaws were there in the boundaries of the United States 
in 1800 ? 

2. What was the strength of the bond of union in 1800 ? 

3. Make an argument from the European point of view showing 
that the United States would be short-lived. 

4. How did the social ideas of Alexander Hamilton differ from 
those of Thomas Jefferson ? 



LECTURE II. 

THE EXPANSION OF THE UNION. 

I. Introduction. 



In 1800 "the Union " meant an aggregation of separate states, 
recently colonies, having strongly developed local traditions, 
and but little more than a tendency to centralization. 



THE UNITED STATES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 5 

II. The Louisiana Purchase. 

The purchase of the Louisiana country was a revolutionary 
measure, completely altering the geographical aspect of the 
United States, suggesting grave constitutional questions, and 
promising ultimate destruction of the political power of the 
states, to which past history and tradition had conceded leader- 
ship. With its development old-time'^questions were forgotten 
and new problems pressed for solution, the narrow and the 
insular giving place to the broad and the national. The pur- 
chase of such a magnificent territory at such trifling cost was an 
achievement little appreciated at the time. 

III. The Florida Purchase. 

The theory of "manifest destiny" was well illustrated in the 
case of Florida, the actual value of the territorial acquisition 
being small compared with the possibilities suggested by the 
"line of 1819." 

IV. Texas and the Mexican Cessions. 

A disturbing element was introduced when the fight came for 
Texas, leading directly to the Mexican war. The imperative 
demands of slavery were met by the development of an intense 
spirit of moral earnestness, the theory of " manifest destiny," 
and the watchcry, "Our country! right or wrong," arguments 
of a triumphant and imperious majority, being brought into 
sharp contradistinction to the idea of an individual responsi- 
bility on the part of the citizen. 

V. The Oregon Contest. 

The rousing sentiment " Fifty-Four-Forty-or-Fight !" was no 
doubt a clever device to attract public attention from the more 
important struggle in the Southwest, but the settlement of the 
northwestern boundary was of great importance in connection 
with the Pacific ocean frontage and the internal development 
of the country, and, as later events proved, in connection with 
the discovery of gold in California. The influence of John 
Quincy Adams cannot be overestimated. 



6 THE UNITED STATES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 

VI. The Alaska Purchase. 

This introduced an entirely new question : the desirability of 
the acquisition of territory not geographically contiguous to the 
United States. Its far-reaching importance was not realized at 
the time, the recompensing of a friendly power having more 
weight than the influence of world-problems as yet unseen. 

VII. Recent Territorial Acquisitions. 

The annexation of the Hawaiian Islands and the territorial 
results of the Spanish-American war bringing Porto Rico and 
the Philippine Islands under American control introduced new 
phases of " expansion." 

VIII. Conclusion. 

The expansion of the Union in point of territory is only one 
form of true expansion. Widening'of geographical limits neces- 
sitated broadening of view everywhere, and inevitably led to 
more comprehensive ideas of the true meaning of " the Union." 

References : 

Walker (editor), The First Century of the Republic. 

Gannett, The Building of a Nation. 

Shaler (editor), The United States of America. 

Sparks, The Expansion of the American People. 

Morse, Thofuas Jefferson. 

Morse, John Quincy Adams. 

Barrows, Oregon. 

Fiske, American Political Ideas. 

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION OR REVIEW. 

1. What were the constitutional objections to the Louisiana pur- 
chase ? What was the attitude of Jefferson toward them ? 

2. What substantial gains were there resulting from the Florida 
purchase ? 

3. Can more be said in support of the attitude of the United States 
toward Mexico 1840-48 than against it? 

4. What were the several steps in the determination of the bound- 
ary between the United States and British North America, 1783- 
1872 ? 



THE UNITED STATES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 7 

LECTURE III. 

THE INFLUENCE OF CENTRALIZING IDEAS. 

I. Introduction. 

A pressing danger forced the American colonies into a tem- 
porary alliance in the Revolutionary War, the tendency toward 
union being strong or weak as the common enemy threatened 
or seemed distant. " The Articles of Confederation and Per- 
petual Union" made only a "rope of sand," and the constitu- 
tion of the United States, ''wrung from the grinding necessities 
of a reluctant people," was not a sufficient binding obligation 
without certain great centralizing forces. 

II. The Influence of Alexander Hamilton. 

** .... Hamilton's theory of government seems to have been 
almost entirely founded upon what had passed under his own 
observation during the war of the Revolution, and subsequently 
previous to the adoption of the new constitution .... he had 
become very strongly impressed with the impossibility of duly 
providing for the public good, especially in times of war and 
danger, except by a government invested with ample powers, 
and possessing means for putting those powers into vigorous 
exercise." 

His whole influence was toward centralization, his various 
political and financial measures being calculated to establish 
the credit of the United States and to give it distinct standing 
among the nations of the world. 

III. The Influence of John Marshall. 

Following the work of Alexander Hamilton in helping to frame 
the constitution and then to make it an effective organ for gov- 
ernment came that of John Marshall, who directed the Supreme 
Court, asserting its jurisdiction in the settlement of mooted 
questions, defining and maintaining the powers of Congress, 
defending the authority of the executive, and limiting the pow- 
ers of the individual states; this constructive work of the 



8 THE UNITED STATES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 

Supreme Court being a powerful influence toward centralization 
and the upbuilding of the United States as an entity, distinct 
from the notion of an aggregation of loosely allied states. 

IV. The Influence of Territorial Expansion. 

Each new accession of territory, making an addition to the 
public domain and providing for a population which had had 
no share in colonial history and hence no interest in the jeal- 
ousies incident to state rights, was a powerful force toward cen- 
tralization. 

V. The Influence of War and Diplomacy. 

The second war with England had great influence in stimu- 
lating national pride, the achievements of the navy, especially, 
increasing the desire for a strong central government, whose 
flag should be honored everywhere. In the Civil War the love 
of the Union was made the important element in the appeal 
for supporters of the government, and the result of this 
war was everywhere considered to be the downfall of the state- 
rights principle and the triumph of the centralizing idea. 
Wherever in American history our representatives met commis- 
sioners from other nations the desire for a strong central gov- 
ernment was greatly stimulated. 

VI. The Influence of Modern Inventions. 

All of these centralizing influences combined could not have 
overcome the decentralizing effect of the rapid territorial 
expansion, had it not been for the invention and development 
of the railroad and the telegraph which abridged distance and 
brought the remotest parts of the country into close relation- 
ships. 

References: 

Sparks, The Expansion of the American Peoples 
Gannett, The Building of a Nation. 
Lodge, Alexander Hamilton. 
Magruder,y(?/4« Marshall. 
M.oxst,fohn Quincy Adams. 
Pellew, John Jay. 



THE UNITED STATES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY Q 

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION OR REVIEW. 

What influence did the first and second banks of the United 

States have toward centralization ? 

Give cases in diplomatic history showing the weakness of the 

position of American representatives because of the lack of a 

strong central government. 

Show in some detail how the second war with England affected 

the development of the central government. 

What was the influence of Daniel Webster upon centralization ? 



LECTURE IV. 

CERTAIN PROBLEMS OF INTERNAL DEVELOPMENT. 

I. Introduction. 

The spectacular element in history ordinarily is emphasized 
while real, substantial growth comes in the slow and steady 
internal development. The wars of the republic, or its marvel- 
ous territorial expansion, are more attractive than the details 
of quiet improvement. A few problems of internal develop- 
ment afford abundant opportunity for interesting study. 

II. The Admission of New States. 

The constitutional provision for the admission of new states 
into the Union was a very peculiar one, permitting the gradual 
introduction of an element strange to past history and tradi- 
tion, and leading eventually to the overthrow of the long- 
established political power of certain states, and to the entire 
revolution of governmental ideas. The maintenance of a bal- 
ance between North and South was long sought. 

III. The Indian Problem. 

Two entirely distinct notions respecting the Indians often 
came into sharp antagonism — the philanthropic, viewing the 
red man afar off; and the practical, seeing him as an undesirable 



lO THE UNITED STATES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 

neighbor. The Indian problem was an ever-present one in 
many places, and its solution, often forced by angry whites, 
was frequently attended with wrong. 

IV. The Public Lands. 

The great increase in the public domain made the question of 
the disposition of the public lands an important one. The 
possibility of finding a home at comparatively small cost 
proved a wonderful stimulus to immigration and to an internal 
movement of population. The value of provisions for making 
many homeowners cannot be overestimated as a force in the 
upbuilding of the United States. 

V. Internal Improvements. 

The lack of means of communication had been one of the weak- 
nesses of every early plan of union. The feeling was quite 
strong that the possession of so much territory would secure 
the failure of the American experiment. The vast acquisitions 
of new territory, the inevitable currents of popular migration, 
and the necessities of war, all forced the importance of the 
problem of internal improvements, the proposition to make 
these at government expense being naturally assailed by the 
advocates of state rights as essentially centralizing. 

VI. The Growth of Urban Population. 

In 1790 there were six cities in the United States which had a 
population of 8,000 or more, and the largest contained only 
42,520. In 1900 there were more than seventy with over 
50,000. The tremendous growth of urban population has been 
one of the wonders of the century, and has introduced many 
new and grave problems for solution. 

References : 

Sparks, The Expansion of the American People. 

Schurz, Henry Clay. 

Sumner, Andrew Jackson. 

Dunn, Indiana. 

King, Ohio. 

Loomis, Modern Cities. 

Jackson, A Century of Dishonor, 



THE UNITED STATES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY II 

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION OR REVIEW. 

1. What effect upon the character of the United States did the 
admission of Ohio have ? 

2. Under what conditions were the southern Indians moved to the 
Indian Territory ? 

3. What things determined the price asked for public lands ? 

4. Show why the Strict-Construction party naturally opposed inter- 
nal improvements. 

5. Indicate seven or eight important problems connected with any 
modern great city. 



LECTURE V. 



THE STRUGGLE WITH DECENTRALIZING FORCES. 

I. The Influence of Colonial Ideas and Traditions. 

The influence of colonial ideas in the formative days of the 
republic was largely in the direction of decentralization, and 
those in charge of the administration had to make a hard fight 
to overcome the sinister forces. 

II. The Strict-Construction Party. 

The party of opposition to men like Hamilton and Marshall 
found a sure refuge in the constitution. While struggling to 
maintain its principles, the Strict Constructionists worked 
against centralization and in favor of the power of the states. 

III. Nullification. 

The idea of nullification was the extreme limit of opposition. 
It found advocates on many occasions, but certain notable ones 
are recalled to illustrate its influence as a decentralizing force. 

IV. The Slave Power. 

The decentralizing influence of the slavery question was very 
great, the increasing bitter discussions of its various phases 



12 THE UNITED STATES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 

leading to the introduction of the moral element, and array- 
ing one part of the people against the other, each conscious of 
rectitude and possessed of a feeling of personal wrong on the 
part of the other State rights furnished a shelter for the advo- 
cates of slavery, and they felt the imperative need to struggle 
constantly against the forces tending toward centralization. 

V. Rebellion and Civil War. 

The supreme issue was joined in the Civil War. It was " union " 
against ''disunion." The forces of decentralization combined 
in the arena of last resort, until victory came for the Union. 

yi. The Problem of Reconstruction. 

Even in the hour of decisive victory the gravest difficulties were 
encountered in the reorganizations following the war, as if the 
decentralizing influences were still effective against the national 
government. 

References: 

Sumner, Alexander Ha??iilton. 
Morse, Thomas Jefferson. 
Von Yio\%i, John C. Calhoun. 
Morse, Abraham Lincoln. 
Storey, Charles Sumner. 
Wilson, Division and Reunion. 

Hart, American History Told by Contemporaries, Vol. IV, "Welding the 
Nation. " 

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION OR REVIEW. 

1. What were the Virginia and Kentucky resolutions? 

2. What decentralizing elements were illustrated in the Whiskey 
Insurrection of 1794? 

3. What argument can be made in support of the theories of John 
C. Calhoun ? 

4. What was Abraham Lincoln's position regarding the govern- 
mental relation of the rebellious states ? Was secession ever a 
fact? 



THE UNITED STATES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 1 5 

LECTURE VI. 

THE UNITED STATES AS A WORLD-POWER. 

I. Isolation, the Idea of the Fathers. 

The American colonists had largely come seeking a refuge from 
oppression, political or religious, and their natural desires 
favored isolation of the United States, except as commercial 
interests suggested foreign connections. 

II. Neutrality. 

" Friendship with all, entangling alliances with none," was 
Jefferson's expression for the ideas set forth by Washington in 
his Neutrality Proclamation of 1793, and reiterated in his Fare- 
well Address. 

III. Lessons of the War of 1812. 

Until 181 5 the United States was a dependency of Europe, its 
people divided into British and French factions, its policies 
determined only after careful consideration of European 
opinion. One great effect of the war was to free the country 
from this feeling and to stimulate the idea of nationality. 

IV. The Monroe Doctrine. 

The Monroe doctrine in its three parts had comparatively little 
force at the time of its declaration, but it made the people feel 
their strength, and accustomed them to the idea of the United 
States as a world-power. The proposition of the British in 
connection with the Holy Alliance. 

V. Manifest Destiny. 

The idea of manifest destiny had its value in creating the 
impression that the United States was destined to be one of 
the great nations of the world, and in preparing people for 
geographical changes. It had evil elements also. 



14 THE UNITED STATES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 

VI. Lessons of the Spanish- American War. 

The Spanish-American war, with its results of American owner- 
ship of the Philippine Islands and Porto Rico, and American 
oversight of Cuba, together with the contemporary acquisition 
of the Hawaiian Islands, marked the end of the isolation idea 
of the fathers and the forced entrance of the United States 
into world politics. 

VII. Problems of the Future. 

a. The Atlantic- Pacific canal. 

b. The Cuban situation. 

c. The control of the Philippines. 

d. The government of the colonies. 

e. The control of Americans. 

References: 

Lodge, George Washington, 

Morse, Thomas Jefferson. 

Pellew, John Jay. 

Gilman, James Monroe. 

Morse, John Quincy Adams. 

Austin, Colonial Adiyiinistration. 

Fiske, American Political Ideas. 

Sparks, Expansion of the American People. 

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION OR REVIEW. 

1. Was there any difference between the ideas held by Washington 
and Jefferson on neutrality? 

2. What was the occasion for the declaration of the Monroe doc- 
trine ? What is its exact position as a principle of international 
law ? 

3. What argument may be made for the withdrawal of the United 
States authority from the Philippine Islands ? 

4. Would the United States be justified in seizing Cuba in case of 
a failure of self-control ? 



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